Shedeur Sanders faces decisive hours in his young NFL career as a professional quarterback. The Cleveland Browns announced that Dillon Gabriel will be the starting QB when the franchise travels to London to face the Minnesota Vikings. Following this setback, Deion’s son may be regretting his decision to pass on the Baltimore Ravens, led by star quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The draft is always a complex scenario for any athlete, especially for those with high short-term aspirations. Sanders found himself at a crossroads between the Browns and the Ravens, and it now seems that he may be regretting the path he chose in the AFC North division.
Sanders had the chance to be selected by Baltimore instead of Cleveland in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the goal of having a better chance at starting as a rookie quarterback, he let Baltimore know he preferred to play elsewhere, and ended up being drafted by Cleveland. However, that decision may now be working against the young rookie QB.
Shedeur’s snub of Ravens backfires
Sanders opted out of joining the Ravens because he didn’t see himself as having a realistic chance to start, given the presence of Jackson. But now, with the two-time MVP quarterback sidelined by injury, Shedeur could have had a real opportunity to step on the field in Baltimore.
“How in the world can somebody fault him for saying or thinking, ‘Why in the world would I go back up Lamar for 10 more years?’” Deion Sanders said in September on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce about his son’s decision to avoid the Ravens in the draft. With Jackson expected to miss at least three weeks, the opportunity might have arrived much sooner than expected.
Sanders’ situation with the Browns
In Cleveland, Joe Flacco started as QB1 but was eventually benched. That opened a window for Sanders to prove himself, but the Browns ultimately chose Gabriel as the replacement. In the battle for the starting role, the rookie has fallen behind and has been left with nothing to show for his gamble.